Wandering the Martial World (1)
A group of teenagers, looking about fifteen or sixteen, were mercilessly beating up a lone boy.
Thud! Thud!
The reasons for the beatings changed every time, but today’s excuse was this:
“You little brat! I just don’t like your face.”
The one throwing punches was a hulking figure, as big as a bear, though his own appearance was hardly one to judge others by.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kicks followed the punches. The boy, seemingly used to such beatings, curled up on the ground, shielding his head with his hands.
The onlookers did nothing to intervene; instead, they laughed and spat at him.
Spit landed on the boy’s clothes.
“Hey, you idiot! You got spit on my clothes!”
“Sorry. I’m really sorry!”
“You little punk. Do you know how much this uniform costs?”
“I said I’m sorry! Damn it!”
“Now you’re talking back, huh?”
Thud!
But the punch wasn’t aimed at the one who spat; it was directed at the boy who was already being beaten.
“This is all your fault!”
The crowd laughed even harder at the scene.
“I’m sorry, really sorry. But I don’t have any money to bring this month. I told you before, my parents work late, and I attend the martial school…”
“You crazy idiot! Are you saying I’m doing this for a few coins? What do you take me for?”
Thud! Thud!
The brute, now even more agitated, swung his fists again.
“Strip him!”
The other kids rushed over and started tearing at the boy’s clothes.
“I’ll take it off myself. Don’t rip it! It’s the only uniform I have.”
But the clothes tore anyway.
“No!”
The brute mocked him, mimicking his cries.
“No! No! No! You pathetic fool!”
Thud!
He kicked the boy, who fell back, clutching his torn clothes.
The boy felt more pain from the torn uniform than from the beating. His dream was to learn martial arts and provide a better life for his parents.
Judging by the harsh treatment he endured, he hadn’t saved the martial world in a past life. But perhaps he had offered some small help to someone who did.
One of the laughing kids glanced toward the end of the alley.
“Who are they?”
Two young men were watching from a distance. They were Byeok Lidan and Cheonma.
The gang’s attention shifted to them.
The brute sneered at the two men, showing no fear.
“Hey, you guys passing by. Don’t try to play hero and end up crying with a busted head. Just keep walking.”
Byeok Lidan nodded at the brute and said, “Alright.”
As he turned to leave, Byeok Lidan seemed to remember something and asked, “But who is he? Did he kill your father? Even the martial alliance doesn’t beat captured demons like that.”
The brute, annoyed, looked back at his friends and said, “What’s this idiot babbling about?”
Normally, his friends would laugh and react to his words, but they remained silent.
Startled, the brute turned back to find Byeok Lidan standing right next to him. He had moved from the far end of the alley to here in an instant, without a sound. Those who witnessed it were frozen in shock. In the blink of an eye, Byeok Lidan was beside the brute.
“What the hell? You bastard!”
The brute reflexively swung a punch at Byeok Lidan.
Whoosh!
Of course, the punch hit nothing but air.
Byeok Lidan had moved next to the kneeling boy. The boy’s face was so swollen it was hard to recognize him. His body, stripped of clothes, was covered in bruises, evidence of frequent beatings.
“Is it tough?”
Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes, but he fought hard not to cry. Despite the bullying, he had pride and determination.
“That kid must be from a well-off family. The martial school sides with him, right? So you can’t speak up? I know. It’s always like that. In these cases, you should report it to the martial alliance. They have investigation teams in each branch to handle violence in schools and martial academies. They started about a month ago. Have you heard of them?”
Byeok Lidan had created the organization that very day after witnessing a similar situation during his travels.
”…Yes.”
“Do you know they conduct fair and thorough investigations, no matter who the parents are?”
”…I’ve heard.”
“Then why didn’t you report it?”
The boy glanced at the brute, still filled with fear.
The brute, grinning, answered for him, “My dad’s the head of the martial alliance branch here.”
Byeok Lidan sighed deeply.
“Ah, so that’s it. This is a special case.”
He understood why such a smart and determined boy was so helpless.
The brute, oblivious to the change in atmosphere, raised his voice.
“You idiot, you’re screwed. Hey, grab that guy!”
The kids hesitated, having seen Byeok Lidan’s swift movement earlier.
“You idiots! Do you want to die?”
At the brute’s shout, the kids rushed at Byeok Lidan. They would have been better off choosing the brute’s wrath.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Byeok Lidan’s punches sent the kids flying. He showed no mercy, beating them without hesitation. Their feeble attempts to fight back only fueled his anger.
He focused especially on the brute.
Thud! Thud!
“Ah! Stop! Damn it! Stop! My dad will kill me if you keep this up!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He beat them even more harshly. Teeth broke, and faces turned black and blue. He struck the bruises again.
“Aaaah! It hurts! Please! Spare me!”
The curses turned to pleas, but Byeok Lidan’s expression remained unchanged as he continued the beating.
He wasn’t trying to kill them, just inflict pain, so they truly felt like they were dying.
How long did he beat them, one by one, without missing anyone?
A few martial artists came running to the scene.
“Stop! Cease this at once!”
They were dressed in the martial alliance’s uniform.
The brute, lying on the ground and groaning, regained his bravado.
”…Arrest that guy! Now!”
The martial artists were shocked to see the beaten boy. It was the son of the branch head they served. Though they secretly felt he deserved it, they didn’t show it.
“What are you doing to these kids?”
“Kids? Do you see any kids here? Have you ever seen a kid do that to a friend? There are only beasts worse than dogs here.”
The martial artists were left speechless. If it weren’t for the branch head’s son, the brute would have been arrested long ago. He had committed all sorts of misdeeds, relying on his father’s position.
“You’ll have to come with us.”
“Alright. I need to see his father anyway.”
Just then, someone shouted from behind.
“You bastard! There’s no need for that.”
The branch head himself had arrived. Seeing his son, his eyes turned wild.
“Arrest that bastard! This lunatic touched my son?”
“Yes, sir.”
The martial artists moved to apprehend Byeok Lidan.
But they stopped in their tracks, unable to move. They hadn’t even realized their pressure points had been struck, and there hadn’t been a sound.
“How someone like you became a branch head is beyond me.”
Smack!
Byeok Lidan struck the branch head’s face mercilessly. The branch head drew his sword and swung it.
Drawing a sword in such a situation was unheard of.
Of course, this only made Byeok Lidan angrier.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
He beat him even more brutally.
The martial artists could only stand by, dumbfounded.
Byeok Lidan released the pressure point of one martial artist and shouted.
“Go get the regional head.”
“What?”
“Now!”
The martial artist ran off. The commotion at the branch meant they had to report to the regional headquarters anyway.
Meanwhile, Cheonma, who had been watching from atop a wall, locked eyes with the brute.
Cheonma yawned widely and said, “You’re in trouble, but your dad’s in even deeper.”
The regional head arrived.
When it was revealed that I was the alliance leader, the branch head and the bullies turned pale.
A special inspector arrived to investigate the branch head’s past actions thoroughly. As expected, there were numerous wrongdoings and corruption.
Naturally, the branch head was dismissed and imprisoned. As an example, he received the harshest sentence, unlikely to see daylight again.
The regional head also stepped down, taking responsibility for failing to manage his subordinates.
I personally bought a new uniform for the beaten boy. Instead of giving him money, I talked with him about how to live his life, giving him courage and finding strength myself. Since I handled the matter directly, retaliation was out of the question.
A new law was established.
No leniency for kids. The brute was imprisoned, facing several years behind bars.
The other bullies were also jailed. Though their sentences were lighter than the brute’s, they served as examples.
This was announced to all martial schools and academies across the land. It was made clear that bullies would face no leniency, regardless of their parents, and would be dealt with according to the alliance leader’s decree.
In my past life, I hadn’t known this.
However, traveling with Cheonma had opened my eyes to the harsh realities. The violence among martial artists and scholars was a far more serious issue than I had imagined. It was time to set things right, as the future would be bleak if the children were broken.
A month later.
A middle-aged man was sprinting across the field, using his light-footed martial arts technique.
He had a young girl tucked under his arm.
“Heh heh heh!”
His laughter was laced with a lecherous undertone.
“Just hold on a little longer. Soon, I’ll make you a woman.”
But his run came to an abrupt halt.
Someone was standing in his path.
“Who the hell are you?”
Much to the misfortune of this depraved man, it was Byeokridan who had blocked his way.
Byeokridan strode forward, speaking with a calm menace.
“Just hold on a little longer. Soon, the elder will make you a corpse.”
In a flash, the girl was safely in Byeokridan’s arms. He gently pressed a point to put her to sleep.
“Give her back! She’s mine!”
The man hurled a hidden weapon and charged.
Thud.
Effortlessly dodging the attack, Byeokridan delivered a merciless kick to the man’s groin.
“Aaaaargh!”
With a single blow, the man’s groin was shattered, and he writhed on the ground in agony.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Byeokridan stomped on him, breaking bones with each step.
“Aaaaargh!”
The man screamed as if he were dying.
“Did you really think of doing such a vile thing to a child? You worthless scum.”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The broken bones were crushed further. The man’s eyes rolled back in excruciating pain.
“I shouldn’t let you die so easily, but I’m too busy. Traveling, dealing with scum like you.”
With a final, decisive stomp, he crushed the man’s skull.
Cradling the sleeping child, Byeokridan retraced the path the man had taken.
After a short walk, Cheonma was waiting.
“Is this what you call a journey?”
“Couldn’t just let it slide, could I?”
“Exactly.”
The problem was that villains and their misdeeds were all too visible to me. I could almost sense them with just a glance. Those with ill intentions had a distinct aura.
“Still, look at this child. Doing good feels rewarding, doesn’t it?”
“She looks so peaceful when she’s asleep.”
Sometimes, Cheonma would rush ahead to capture or eliminate the villains. At first, I thought he was venting his pent-up energy.
But that wasn’t it. He was genuinely angry at the wicked.
We even had conversations like this:
“These bastards, they’re really too much.”
“Who dared to anger our Cheonma like this?”
“There are too many scoundrels in the martial world.”
“Hahaha.”
Of course, not every part of our journey was about sending villains to hell.
We had our share of joyful experiences too.
We drank wine on a small boat under the moonlight, visited famous scenic spots in the Central Plains, witnessed the breathtaking sight of thousands of birds taking flight at once, and raced across endless wilderness.
And today, the moment we had been waiting for finally arrived.
While drinking at an inn, a truly beautiful woman approached us.
“Care to join us for a drink?”
Looking over, I saw another beauty sitting across the room. Two on this side, two on that. A perfect match.
At last, the opportunity Cheonma had always talked about—spending time with the beauties of the martial world—had arrived.